There Is No CEO Playbook—But These 5 Things Came Close

When I officially stepped into the CEO role at PayNW, I was stepping into some very big shoes.

Our founder, Mike Anderson, gave me something rare in leadership transitions: time. Six months, to be exact. Six months where I knew the change was coming, and so did he. Six months to prepare, plan, and—most importantly—ask a lot of questions.

So I did what any person with a little foresight and a lot of curiosity would do. I set up meetings with as many CEOs as I could and asked the same thing every time:

“What is one piece of advice you would give to someone stepping into a CEO role for the first time?”

The answers I got shaped the way I approached the job then—and still influence how I lead today. Fast forward four years, and I found myself at PCW (UKG’s Partner Conference), where a brand-new CEO came up to me and asked me the question:

“What are the top five things I should do as a new CEO?”

It stopped me in my tracks.

Because suddenly, I was the one who had the answers.

Not perfect ones. Not universal ones.

But hard-earned, real-world lessons from someone who has been in the seat, wrestled with the role, and learned from some truly wise people.

So, here they are.

Five things I believe every new CEO should do—especially if you want to lead with intention, not just title.

1. Turn off your system access.

This was the first and best advice I received before stepping into the CEO role. Farsheed Ferdowsi—renowned author and all-around great human—said it to me plainly:

“Turn off your access to all systems.”

My first thought?

Absolutely not. I need to run reports! I need to check things!

His response?

“Do you really?”

Here’s the thing: when you remove yourself from the operational noise, a few powerful things happen:

• You start asking your team for the reports you need—and in doing so, they start learning what matters and why.
• You only request what you truly need, which means less rabbit holes and more clarity.
• And half the time, your team will say,
  “Why don’t I just take that task across the finish line for you?”

Letting go is uncomfortable. But it is also how you make room for others to lead.

2. Write the vision.

Even if it feels premature. Even if you are not sure you are “ready.” The act of writing it forces you to define what matters and align others around it.

I wrote a whole blog about this, so I will just link it here and let that do the talking:

👉 The Vision Statement I Didn’t Want to Write (But Needed To)

3. Redefine what a productive day looks like.

Let’s be real—if you are measuring success by how many boxes you checked today, you are going to feel like a failure most days.

As CEO, your “work” often looks like:

• Talking to your team.
• Sitting in meetings where you say almost nothing.
• Thinking through a decision with no clear outcome.
• Asking more questions than you answer.

And here is the kicker:

That is the work.

You are no longer the one doing—it is your job to create conditions for the doing to happen.

You are planting seeds. The payoff shows up weeks—or months—down the road. And sometimes in ways you did not expect.

4. Communicate transparently.

People cannot align with what they cannot see. That is why transparency is non-negotiable.

At PayNW, we implemented Results on Purpose, a flavor of EOS that gave us a structure for visibility—weekly scorecards, quarterly rocks, shared issues lists.

It helped. A lot.

But you do not need EOS to be transparent.

You just need the guts to show your team what is real:

• Where the business stands
• What you are focused on
• What is not working (and what you are doing about it)
• What success looks like—and how you are measuring it

If your people are guessing, they are hesitating. And when your team hesitates, your company stalls.

5. Find your people.

CEO is one of the loneliest jobs in any company.

There are things you cannot say in the room. Ideas you are not ready to test in front of your team. Moments when everyone is looking to you—and you are quietly wondering if you are the only one without the answer.

That is where peer groups come in.

Find people who have been there. People who will give it to you straight—without ego or agenda. The kind of people who will tell you your idea might need another lap and buy you a drink after.

Some of my best decisions were shaped by a phone call with a peer who was willing to say,

“You are not crazy—but you might be early.”

Or even better:

“You are overthinking this. Just go.”

Your team deserves a CEO who is supported, sharpened, and sane.

So go find yours.

One last thing…

No one becomes a great CEO overnight.

You will stumble. You will second-guess. You will wonder if you are doing it right.

That is normal. And frankly, necessary.

But if I could go back and talk to myself on Day One, I would say this:

Do not try to prove you deserve the job.

Just do it in a way you are proud of.

Because the best CEOs?

They are still becoming.


Gratefully,